Today’s episode is brought to you by…the snow day! It’s been another long while since I posted an episode of my podcast. Being back in the secondary classroom has left me still trying to find my groove. But! Today’s snow day seemed like the perfect opportunity to edit and post another episode. Thanks, Snow! ItContinue reading “Rachel Bird by Becky Citra | Author Talk”
Tag Archives: rural
Book Review: NO SON OF MINE by Jonathan Corcoran | Kathleen M. Jacobs
Thanks to Kathy Jacobs for bringing No Son of Mine by Jonathan Corcoran to my attention and for her review which highlights the struggle of rural folks who at once love their place while also seeing its flaws and sometimes being othered by it.
Golden Boys by Phil Stamper | Author Talk
Celebrating PRIDE in rural places with Phil Stamper with my first episode in a while. Hope you’ll join us.
The Precipitation that Earned My Appreciation by Genevieve Frander | Honorable Mention 2024 Rural Teen Writing Contest
My eyes drifted open to see that the early morning’s light had already seeped through my flimsy, beige curtains. Sleep still smothering my senses like a thick cloud of fog, I reluctantly heaved my body out of bed. Suddenly, I stopped dead in my tracks, any remnants of sleep evaporating in an instant. I breathedContinue reading “The Precipitation that Earned My Appreciation by Genevieve Frander | Honorable Mention 2024 Rural Teen Writing Contest”
Of Goats and Kids by Sallie Choi | Runner-Up Rural Teen Writing Contest
I’ve never liked petting zoos. Growing up, I would always find myself sneezing through clouds of alpaca fur and sheep wool to illuminate the way, like Moses parting the Red Sea. IT was always the goats that scared me the most; something about their beady-eyed glares and ever-greasy fur was deeply unsettling in a wayContinue reading “Of Goats and Kids by Sallie Choi | Runner-Up Rural Teen Writing Contest”
The Ribcage by Britta Nilsson | Winner of 2024 Rural Teen Writing Contest
We’re lying in the road letting the end of the sun soak into us and you say, “Is my ribcage showing?”I roll over and see the stretched flesh, the gentle pulse, the boneslike a door ajar and oh I’m starving. I answer yes andyou sit up to pull a jacket over them.“Sorry. I don’t knowContinue reading “The Ribcage by Britta Nilsson | Winner of 2024 Rural Teen Writing Contest”
Spinning Toward the Sun Donates 100% of Profits to Rebuild Asheville After Hurricane Helene
Spinning Toward the Sun: Essays on Writing, Resilience, and the Creative Life is a new collection of essays curated by editor, Nora Shalaway Carpenter. A diverse range of celebrated authors, including yours truly, have contributed essays on writing, resilience, and the power of community when facing hardship. Contributing authors offer everything from personal stories to practicalContinue reading “Spinning Toward the Sun Donates 100% of Profits to Rebuild Asheville After Hurricane Helene”
Rural America’s Lovely Intangibles | Kathleen M. Jacobs
It’s a New Year, and we’re starting with a new guest contribution from West Virginia author, Kathleen M. Jacobs. In this piece, Jacobs reflects on things that are hard to put your finger on but make rural living worthwhile. Thanks, Kathy, for helping Literacy In Place start the New Year off right! When I wasContinue reading “Rural America’s Lovely Intangibles | Kathleen M. Jacobs”
Announcing the 2024 Winners of the Whippoorwill Award for Rural Young Adult and Middle Grade Literature
This is the fourth cycle of the Whippoorwill Award for Rural Young Adult and Middle Grade Literature, and it has been an eventful one. The Award has recently moved to be housed by The Rural Assembly on English Language and Literacy Education (TRAELLE, pronounced “trail”). TRAELLE is an assembly of educators through the National CouncilContinue reading “Announcing the 2024 Winners of the Whippoorwill Award for Rural Young Adult and Middle Grade Literature”
Vicious Is My Middle Name by Kevin Dunn | Author Talk
In this episode, Whippoorwill Award winner Kevin Dunn and I talk about the importance of rural voices in publishing, the impact that transactions of place have on identity, and the connection between DIY punk and rural culture. To learn more about Kevin Dunn: https://www.kcdunn.com/ For more info on the Whippoorwill Award for Rural YA andContinue reading “Vicious Is My Middle Name by Kevin Dunn | Author Talk”
TRAELLE & WHIPPOORWILL TO JOIN FORCES
If you’ve been following along on this little journey of mine, you likely already know that I (with the help of Rebekah Buchanan and other amazing colleagues) started The Rural Assembly of English Language and Literacy Education through the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) as a home for rural ELA teachers and teacherContinue reading “TRAELLE & WHIPPOORWILL TO JOIN FORCES”
Vicious Is My Middle Name by Kevin Dunn | Book Talk
In this episode, I sit down with my buddy, Brian Brady, to talk about the Whippoorwill Award winning Vicious Is My Middle Name by Kevin Dunn which is about Sydney Vicious Talcott and her efforts to derail the construction of an asphalt plant in her new home in Appalachia. Here’s the jacket copy summary: WithContinue reading “Vicious Is My Middle Name by Kevin Dunn | Book Talk”
Rural Teen Writing Contest Portal is Open: Middle Schoolers Welcome!
When I began The Rural Teen Writing Contest, I wasn’t sure how it would go, so I began by opening the contest to only high school students in grades 9-12. Well, this year, that’s changing! The Literacy In Place Rural Teen Writing Contest is officially open to rural writers in grades 6 – 12! ThisContinue reading “Rural Teen Writing Contest Portal is Open: Middle Schoolers Welcome!”
2023: A Year in Review
I’m currently sitting in my childhood living room while my three kids play with their uncles’ assortment of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars collected over a couple decades. Sometimes it’s collaborative; sometimes it’s not. The youngest frequently breaks off to play in the 30-year-old Playskool kitchen we all used at my Mamaw and Papaw’s house.Continue reading “2023: A Year in Review”
Dr. Parton's Literacy In Place 